Sunday, September 12, 2004

Maryland Public Libraries' Sailor Project, which connects libraries statewide into a common private network, is deploying Alvarion's point-to-multipoint broadband wireless access systems to extend the network to additional schools, libraries and agencies across the state. A wireless backbone is being installed by Business Information Group (BIG) to delivers 100 Mbps of capacity to each connected county. Un the state. Each participating county then provides the funds to extend the infrastructure from the backbone location to various public agencies. The wireless broadband links will replace costly leased lines. Counties taking advantage of the Sailor network will leverage Alvarion's BreezeACCESS platform to access the new Sailor backbone free of charge, in exchange for hosting Sailor backbone equipment and antennas at county-owned radio towers. In addition, some counties have elected to extend the network to connect public safety vehicles for mobile access. So far, more than $1 million worth of Alvarion network solutions have been installed for the first eight of Maryland's 24 counties. http://www.alvarion.comhttp://www.soc.lib.md.us

Lucent Technologies named Ivan Shen as Chairman of Lucent China and Vice President of Lucent Technologies. Shen joins the company from the Hong Kong-based marketing consulting firm of Global Pioneer Ltd, where he served as president. Prior to that he worked for AT&T for nearly 14 years in a variety of management and technical positions, including as one of the executive leaders for AT&T's entry into the China market, serving for four years as vice president and managing director of AT&T China. http://www.lucent.com

Kasenna announced the availability of a network-based Personal Video Recorder (NPVR) feature for its MediaBase XMP video server line and other Linux-based servers running MediaBase. Kasenna's TimelessTV NPVR leverages the company's next generation vForge video service development framework. Network-based PVRs enable viewers to pause and resume live TV broadcasts, as well as to record, pause, rewind, and fast-forward through previously recorded shows, all without having to buy and install set-top boxes with hard disk storage, such as TiVo. Kasenna's NPVR is based in the service provider's own operations center.

Kasenna said NPVR services could be offered by broadband service providers, hospitality chains, MTU/MDU owners, and other organizations. http://www.kasenna.com

The BCD Forum is offering a Flash-based modeling tool aimed at helping network service providers and content providers evaluate basic financials in deploying new broadband-based IP services. The tool, developed and contributed by BCD Forum member company Juniper Networks, provides estimates of key financial metrics including the incremental revenue, costs, margin and cash flow.

The financial tool allows service providers to perform basic ROI assessments for individual services such as online gaming, video and voice services in an incremental manner for different scenarios. Providers can input per subscriber revenues; variable demand profiles; estimated per subscriber partnership and capital costs; sales, general and administration rates and discount rates. A financial summary encompassing incremental revenue, operational and partner expenses, capital investment, operating margin, free cash flow and Net Present Value are projected over a 5-year interval.

The model also offers content providers and network service providers the ability to assess prospective cooperative business models, set objectives for negotiating win-win partnerships, and enables a framework for making sound business decisions.

"The BCD Forum is committed to accelerating the deployment of profitable broadband services and fostering viable collaborative partnerships across the content delivery value chain," stated Derek Kuhn, Chairman of the BCD Forum. http://www.bcdforum.org.

Xten introduced a video SIP softphone that also supports the H.263 video codec. The new eyeBeam features call transfer/forward, caller ID, 10-point conferencing, acoustic echo cancellation, voice activity detection, adaptive jitter buffer and message waiting indicator. Xten is offering a Rapid Branding program for service providers. The eyeBeam is also available as an SDK that includes the following low-level APIs: Audio, Video, HTTP, STUN, SIP Stack, SIP Call Control, SDP, RTP, ICE and DNS.

Kagoor Networks raised $9 million in new funding for its line of Session Border Controllers. The company offers a carrier-grade session border control solution with a unique 3-way architecture allowing it to address a broad range of network topologies. Kagoor is approaching 100 customers worldwide including: SingTel, Covad, Kintetsu Cable Network, Elitel and a host of other leading carriers, service providers and MSOs. Its partners include Fujitsu, NEC, Siemens, Avaya, Broadsoft and Sylantro.

The latest funding round was led by Accel Partners and Concord Ventures. Kagoor has now raised over $40 million in total funding. http://www.kagoor.com.

Kagoor is headquartered in San Mateo, California, and manages an R&D facility in Herzeliya, Israel.

In August, Kagoor Networks introduced its Voice over Broadband (VoBB) solution to enable MSOs and carriers to securely and seamlessly deliver VoIP via cable and xDSL. Kagoor' VoiceFlow series of session border controllers are already used extensively in carrier to customer applications. The product line has now been extended to address NAT traversal, security and peering requirements in the rapidly evolving VoBB marketplace. The VoiceFlow VoBB solution for cable providers is compatible with the CableLabs PacketCable network architecture and supports its Call Management Server Signaling (CMSS) protocol specification based on the SIP protocol.

WilTel Communications announced new IP-Enabled Voice Services for wholesale customers. The new service provides IP interconnections to carriers, resellers and VoIP providers, alleviating the need for protocol conversion.

WilTel said the addition of an IP-enabled voice architecture to its existing DMS-250 voice network allows it to provide both TDM and IP-based voice services. Customers can connect to WilTel's IP voice services via dedicated Internet access, MPLS IP VPN or peering.

Cisco Systems agreed to acquire dynamicsoft, a start-up offering SIP-based carrier solutions, for $55 million in cash, which includes the assumption of outstanding debt in the amount of $3.8 million, as well as working capital. dynamicsoft's product set includes three main components:

a "Presence Engine" that creates "subscriber awareness" by collecting, managing and distributing real-time user and device status to applications and users on an as-needed basis.

a "Service Engine" that integrates capabilities such as authentication, authorization, call routing, compression, application failover, and data management to be leveraged by multiple applications simultaneously.

Cisco said the acquisition strengthens its portfolio for the broadband communications market, including elements of wireless/wireline convergence, enabling service providers to build "subscriber aware" networks capable of delivering the next generation of VoIP applications and services.

Upon close of the acquisition, the dynamicsoft organization will report to Don Proctor, vice president and general manager of Cisco's voice technology group. http://www.cisco.comhttp://www.dynamicsoft.com

dynamicsoft was founded in 1998 and has 104 employees. The company is based in Parsippany, New Jersey.

Jonathan Rosenberg, the company's CTO, co-authored the SIP standard and has led many IP telephony and SIP efforts within the IETF. Dean Willis, dynamicsoft fellow, co-chairs the SIP and SIPPING working groups in the IETF, while providing strong leadership for the SIP activities in Open Mobile Alliance (OMA). Robert Sparks, senior software architect for dynamicsoft, is the co-chair of the SIMPLE working group in the IETF.

Dynamicsoft has previously listed Vonage as a lead customer for its Route Engine Platform, which is a carrier-class solution designed to route large volumes of calls.

Cisco's other acquisitions in 2004 have included:

NetSolv, a provider of remote network and IT infrastructure management services for businesses

P-Cube, a developer of IP service control platforms, for approximately $200 million in cash and options.

Procket, a developer of concurrent services routers with expertise in silicon and software development, for approximately $89 million in cash.

Parc Technologies, a spin off from a renowned center for research into search algorithms based at Imperial College, University of London, for $9 million. Parc's Route Server algorithms address network routing problems involving complex Quality of Service constraints.

Actona Technologies, a start-up developing software that facilitates data management across geographically distributed offices, for approximately $82 million in cash.

Riverhead Networks, a start-up offering security technology that protects against Distributed Denial of Service ("DDoS") attacks and other security threats in enterprise and service provider networks, for approximately $39 million in cash.

World Wide Packets has supplied its active Ethernet, "LightningEdge" platform for a municipal FTTH network in Narpio, Finland. Narpio is deploying an open access network, which providers can use to offer IP-based services such as the triple play of voice, video and data, as well as emerging services such as Video on Demand and telemedicine. The network supports speeds of up to 1 Gbps to the subscribe and is capable of guaranteeing a minimum bandwidth per application for VoIP or Video over IP. Narpio's network footprint covers 25 towns and villages dispersed over approximately 1000 square kilometers. http://www.worldwidepackets.com

France Telecom launched phase 3 of its Broadband for Everyone" plan, promising an accelerated rollout of fiber lines to some 2,000 business and industrial parks across France, home to 120,000 large enterprises and smaller businesses. The goal is to provide these business with near term capacity of up to 100 Mbps, and even 1 Gbps for companies located in France's 20 largest cities.

France Telecom, which currently has over two million kilometers of installed fiber, plans to invest an additional EUR 250 million over three years to build an additional 300,000 kilometers of fiber infrastructure. In addition, Gigabit Ethernet loops will be deployed in and around 20 major French cities, allowing services in excess of 1 Gbps. These infrastructures are already available to businesses in the Lille and Paris greater urban areas.

France Telecom's "Broadband For Everyone" program entered its second phase in January 2004, when the company launched an initiative to accelerate broadband deployment across the country.DSL growth has surged in 2004, with nearly 1.6 million new broadband lines to date. Broadband Internet service has been brought to nearly 5,600 additional towns and cities since January 2004. France Telecom said it is on track to achieve its goal of making broadband available to 90% of the population by the end of 2004. This coverage will be increased to 96% by the end of 2005.

By the end of this year, France Telecom will make the maximum speeds available on all ADSL lines in France. In 2005, ADSL 2+ service will be deployed on the entire France Telecom network, boosting speeds up to 16 Mbps and even higher under optimal configurations. http://www.francetelecom.com

Rogers Communications agreed to acquire AT&T Wireless' 34% stake in Rogers Wireless for US $1.372 billion (C$1.767 billion, or C$36.37/share) cash. AT&T Wireless said the sale of its ownership interest in Rogers Wireless does not impact the extensive voice and data roaming capabilities already in place between the two companies. http://www.attws.com

UTStarcom introduced a high-density acceess platform that incorporates the functionality of its AN-2000 IP DSLAM and its iAN-2000 VoIP Media Gateway platform, as well as the functionality of a traditional Digital Loop Carrier (DLC). The new iAN-8000 Multi-Service Access Node (MSAN) can be configured to deliver a range of narrowband and broadband voice and data applications to subscribers over a wireline network infrastructure. When deployed in a central office (CO), the integrated platform delivers TDM voice, VoIP, and both Asymmetric DSL 2 (ADSL 2) and ADSL 2+. The IP network uplink uses either Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet. In emerging markets, the carrier could use Ethernet over E1 to support low-cost DSL services.

As a media gateway, the platform initially offers MGCP / H.248 VoIP-based supplementary and Centrex services (V5.1/V5.2). Support for the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is scheduled for the second half of 2005. Density is another key design attribute. The iAN-8000 supports up to 384 ports per chassis and up to 5 chassis can act as a single systems, giving a total density of 1,920 ports per system.

Because the platform incorporates a DLC, service providers could also deploy it in Points of Presence (POPs) and other remote locations to extend their voice service reach beyond the area served by the CO. It could also be deployed in an MTU environment to serve as a PBX, providing access to the operator's CO via FXO/FXS or E1 lines. Enterprises could also use the iAN-8000 to extend PBX functionality via the Internet to remote locations such as branch offices.

UTStarcom said its iAN-8000 Multi-Service Access Node is currently undergoing a major customer trial in Japan. The company plans to offer the platform in Europe in the first half of 2005 and in the U.S. market by mid-year 2005. http://www.utstar.com

Boingo Wireless has added more than 250 live Wi-Fi hot spots in Mexico City and resort cities throughout Mexico to its network through a roaming agreement with Prodigy Movil, the Wi-Fi and Internet subsidiary of Telmex. The sites include more than 20 airports in Mexico as well as hotels, malls, restaurants and other locations throughout Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara. Resort cities such as Acapulco, Cancun, and Puerto Vallarta are also included. http://www.boingo.com/

Boingo's global network now encompasses more than 9,000 hot spots including approximately 6,300 in Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

Force10 Networks introduced a new line of "TeraScale E-Series" switch/routers capable of supporting up to 56 line-rate 10 Gigabit Ethernet and 672 line-rate Gigabit Ethernet ports in a single chassis, more than twice the density of its nearest competitor. The product line can process one billion packets per second -- also a new industry benchmark, according to the company.

Force10 is also adding hardware-based port mirroring, quality of service, security and link aggregation enhancements. Additionally, the Force10 TeraScale E-Series features hardware-based IPv6 forwarding at line rate and supports one million access control lists (ACLs), providing scalable protection against denial of service attacks. The company is also introducing the first 48-port Gigabit Ethernet line card.

Force10 noted that its TeraScale E-Series comes to market as 10 Gigabit Ethernet port prices are becoming increasingly competitive with Gigabit Ethernet, driving new deployments beyond the early-adopting research and national laboratory environments.

Force10 Networks introduced a new line of "TeraScale E-Series" switch/routers capable of supporting up to 56 line-rate 10 Gigabit Ethernet and 672 line-rate Gigabit Ethernet ports in a single chassis, more than twice the density of its nearest competitor. The product line can process one billion packets per second -- also a new industry benchmark, according to the company.

Force10 is also adding hardware-based port mirroring, quality of service, security and link aggregation enhancements. Additionally, the Force10 TeraScale E-Series features hardware-based IPv6 forwarding at line rate and supports one million access control lists (ACLs), providing scalable protection against denial of service attacks. The company is also introducing the first 48-port Gigabit Ethernet line card.

Force10 noted that its TeraScale E-Series comes to market as 10 Gigabit Ethernet port prices are becoming increasingly competitive with Gigabit Ethernet, driving new deployments beyond the early-adopting research and national laboratory environments. http://www.force10networks.com/

In June 2004, Force10 Networks closed a $74.9 million mezzanine round of funding for its 10 Gigabit Ethernet switching and routing products. Force10 has recently announced a series of high-profile customers, including the European Centre for Mid-Range Weather Forecasts, NTT-ME, NASA, the Department of Homeland Security, MCI, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Hanaro Telecom, Petroleum Geo-Services and Veritas DGC.

Network Physics, a start-up based in Mountain View, California, closed an oversubscribed $13 million round of funding for its network application management across converging networks. Network Physics offers a network application management appliance that helps enterprises ensure the integrity and security of the applications infrastructure by eliminating response time problems. The appliance operates across all network connections -- LAN, WAN, VPN, MPLS, Internet, and third-party -- to provide a view of end-to-end application performance, end-user experience, and network performance, utilization, and route quality. Flow-based technology captures network metrics at up to 750 Mbps.

The new funding was led by Trinity Ventures. Network Physics' existing group of major investors includes Palomar Ventures, Sofinnova Ventures, SunAmerica Ventures, Lucent Venture Partners and VantagePoint Venture Partners. http://www.networkphysics.com